MacBeth or a tale of the Struggles for Power

by Armand Kovacs on 15.11.2019

Last Friday we had the privilege to go to The Grand Theatre de la Ville de Luxembourg and attend the representation of Giuseppe Verdi´s Macbeth. We had the pleasure of witnessing the talented cast of the Opera Ballet Vlaanderen as well as our very own team from the Orchestra Philharmonique Luxembourg.

It is the first time I see a performance of the director Michael Talheimer but I was pleasantly surprised of the direction and style adopted for this play which perfectly merged onto the dark and deep plot of the play.

Of course, Macbeth is a representation of the struggles for power and the transient nature of it as well as the risks and repercussions it brings when obtained. The director beautifully emphasized also the mental strain that the hunger for power brings upon people and the internal turmoil the journey for power creates for the person that hunts it with so much passion.

The decor and lights used in the play added a perfectly earie air to the whole setting, giving the impression that all characters that take part in this tragedy are unwillingly stuck in this epic tale of the unhealthy desire for power of man.

(c) Annemie Augustijns

At the same time, the costumes used for each character perfectly represented their position and role in the whole story, from the simplistic nature of the main characters that showed us their hidden dark nature, their lust for rule and ruthlessness towards achieving it to the choir’s clothing which gave them a mysterious and fantastic presence.

(c) Annemie Augustijns

One of the more interesting parts of the whole representation was the bloodied state of all the characters. Both Macbeth and his wife become more drowsed in blood as the play goes on symbolizing their descent into a murderous desire for power.

(c) Annemie Augustijns

 As for the vocal talent of the opera singers, they managed to round-up the characters by giving them the proper gravitas and depth for the audience to understand their position within the play and the backstabbing universe of Macbeth. Especially impressive were the lead male Role, Craig Colclough, who managed to properly represent Macbeth’s journey from opportunistic murderer to all-out mad king, as well as the lead female, Katia Pellegrino whom managed to take us through the drama of a women descending into madness because of her sins.

The members of the Orchestra Philharmonique Luxembourg rounded up the whole opera giving it that depth and colorfulness we needed to enjoy this dark if not even demonic representation of the murderous Macbeth.

[Editor’s note] To read the French critique of the play by Nicolas Margot, it’s here.

If you enjoy going to the Opera and to the theater in general like I do, please look up the Grand Theatre de la Ville de Luxembourg because they have an amazing list of shows for this year. Also if you enjoy the Orchestra Philharmonique Luxembourg you can find their schedule here. They also have some amazing shows coming up that are worth going to.